Call-distributing telephone system.



H. P. CLAUSEN.

CALL DISTRIBUTING TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-9.1915.

1;]. 99,1 58. Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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CALI. DISTRIBUTING TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB- 9. ms.

Patented Sept. 26, 1916.

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I by MOM/Aw UNITED sra rns Pasteur orrica HENRYP. GLAUSEN, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, T0 WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, INCORPORATED, A CORPORATION OF new YORK.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY P. CLAUSEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Call- Distributing Telephone Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

This invention relates to call distributing systems, and is particularly designed for systems of this kind in which only part of the lines which are heavy users are provided with call distributing apparatus which automatically extends a calling line to an operators position at which there are no unanswered, calls at the time. v

The principal object of this invention is to avoid the use of relays and other apparatus individual to the trunks 0r outlets which extend to the operators positions. In this system the trunk outlet is provided at the operators position with a spring jack and an answering lamp which are individual thereto and a relay which is common to all the outlets entering the position.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents the application of my invention to a three-wire system; Fig. 2 shows a modification of the invention in which the features thereof are applied to a two-wire system.

The switches shown in the drawings, one of which is provided for each subscribers line may be of any suitable design, those shown diagrammatically in the drawings being substantially the same as shown and described in Patent No. 1,131,911, issued March 16, 1915. It is to ,be understood that .the trunks whichterminate at the contacts of the switches shown extend to a plurality of operators positions.

The apparatus and circuits herein shown are of such a simple character as to be read ily understood from the following descrip tion of the operation.

lVhen the subscriber associated with the line 1 removes his receiver from the hook, a

. trunk upon which the switch rests enters an Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Se t 26, 1916 Application filed February 9, 1915.

Serial No. 7,015.

ing its armature, causing the pawl 12 to ride up over the next tooth of the ratchet wheel 13 which carries the switch brushes. When the interrupter 5 breaks this circuit, magnet 7 is denergized and its armature and pawl 12 are retracted by means of the spring 14:;

thus causing the brushes to engage the contacts in the next trunk. If the brushes had rested upon a busy trunk, even though the barring relay 11 had not been attracted, the result would have been the same, as relay 8 at the switch associated with the busy trunk would then be energized, as will presently appear. This would place ground potential upon the segment 9 at said switch and through the test brush thereof to the test contact of the trunk and thence to the multiple of said contact engaged by the test brush of the hunting switch. The repeated energization and deene'rgization of stepping magnet 7 will continue until the switch brushes rest upon the contacts of an idle trunk entering an operators position at which there are no unanswered calls, in which case no busy potential will be supplied to the test contact of the trunk.

When relay 3 was energized a circuit was completed through relay 6 as follows:.

grounded battery, interrupter 5, innermost armature ofrelay 3, left normal contact of relay 6, stepping magnet 7, lower back contact of relay 8, left winding of test relay 6, outermost armature of relay 3 to ground. During the hunting operation, however, relay 6 was not energized 'over this circuit due to the short circuit of its winding through the test contact. This short circuit being now removed, relay 6 starts to pull up and circuits are completed for the right winding ofrelay 6 as follows: from grounded battery through relay 11, answering lamp 14, switch contact, brush 15,, conducting segment 16, contact 17, right'winding of said relay and outermost armature of relay 3 to ground. Battery is also supplied momentarily through interrupter 5, innermost armature of relay 3, contact 18, contact 19, contact 17, and thence to ground as before. Relay 6, in. pulling up opens the stepping circuit and closes through 'its innermost right armature a circuit by means of which relays S and i will become energized when the operator inserts the answering plug 20 in j'ack 21. Relay 11 pulls up and through its left armature, places ground potential on the test contacts of all the trunks entering the operators position at which the selected trunk terminates, thus making all of said trunks test busy and barring all other calls from the position. The above traced circuit through relay 11 also serves to light the answering lamp 14c associated with the jack 21 of the selected trunk. The operator observing lamp 1 1 glowing inserts the plug 20 in jack 21, completing a circuit from grounded battery at 22, through the supervisory lamp 23 and armature of supervisory relay 24 in parallel, sleeve contacts of the plug and jack, conductor 25, switch contact at which it terminates, the brush in engagement therewith, conducting segment 26, conductor 27 innermost armature of relay 6, windings of relays 8 and 4 in series to ground. Cutofi-relay 4 is energized, opening the circuit of line relay 3 which falls off. Holding relay 8 is energized, completing the line circuit and also completing through both windings of relay 6, a circuit which extends from grounded battery through relay 11, switch contact, brush 15, conducting segment 16, contact 17, both windings of relay 6 to ground through the inner lower contact of relay 8. Previous to the deenergization of relay 3 a branch of this circuit which short circuited the left winding of relay 6 extended from the right winding of this relay to ground at the outermost armature of relay 3. But as relay 3 falls 01? at the time relay 8 pulls up, battery will now flow through the left winding in the circuit just traced. This causes a reversal of the polarity of the current through this winding, and as the left winding is the larger, a reversal of the polarity of the electromagnet, thus causing the relay armatures to be kicked oil. After the contacts of its armatures are opened, reenergization of relay 6 is impossible until line relay 8 is again energized. hen the innermost right armature of relay 6 is re.- tracted, .it opens the circuit for relays 4 and 8, but aparallel path had been closed through the uppermost armature and contact of relay 8, thus insuring that the line relay 4 and the cut-in relay 8 will be main- .tained energized as long as the answering plug 20 is in jack 21. When relay 6 retracted its armatures, it opened the circuit of relay 11 and answering lamp 14, causing the lamp to be extinguished and relay 11 to be deenergized thus removing busy potential from the test contacts of the several trunks entering the operators position and rendering the position accessible to other calls.

In this system. it will be observed that the answering operator is in direct contact with the calling subscribers line circuit and there fore message registers and other devices associated with the line circuit may be satisfactorily operated, also the usual reverting busy test will be operative.

Relays .6 and 8 may be made of-the slowrelease type if desired. It relay 8 is made slow-to-release, the operator may momen tarily withdraw her connecting plug without causing the connection to be released,

and if relay 6 is made slow-to-release, its armature willnot be dropped off when a called subscriber operates his switch-hook to flash the signal before the operator.

Fig. 2 discloses an application of my in vention to a two-wire line circuit. As hereindisclosed, the cut-in: or holding relay 8 and the cut-off relay 4 are connected in parallel to the lower talking strand when a connection is established and only four sets of brushes or wipers are required in the trunkhunting switch; also the relay 8 should not be made slow-'to-release. Except as above noted, this system is substantially the same in arrangement and operation as the one disclosed'in Fig. 1 and as the corresponding parts have been indicated by the same reference characters, it is thought the operation of this modification will be readily understood from the foregoing description.

Although a plurality of batteries. are shown on the drawings, these may be and in practice generally will'be one and the same source of current.

It is obvious that this system may be modified so as to differ widely in detail from that herein shown without departing from the salient features of the invention. Applicant therefore desires it understood that his invention is to be limited merely by the scope of the appended claims.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. In a telephone system, a test relay, a

high and a low resistance winding on said relay, means for energizin said relay by current through its high resistance winding, a holding circuit for said relay extending through its low resistance winding, and means for including said high resistance winding in said holding circuit, the windings being so arranged that the inclusion of said high resistance winding in series with the low resistance winding willcause the deenergization of said relay.

2. In a telephone system, a test relay, a high and a Ion resistance winding on said relay, means for energizing said relay by current through its high resistance winding,

a holding circuit for said relay extended through a contact thereof and its low resist-I ance winding, and means for including said high resistance winding with said low resistance winding in said holding circuit,- the windings being so arranged that the inclusion of said high resistance winding in the holding circuit will cause the opening of said relay contact.

3. In a call distributing system, a subscribers line, a switch, trunk lines, means for causing the movement of said switch to associate said line with an idle trunk upon initiation of a call on said line, a test relay for causing upon its energization said switch to stop. on an idle trunk, a holding relay for maintaining said line in association with said trunk, an energizing circuit for said holding relay extending through front contacts of said test relay, and a denergizing circuit for said test relay extending through front contacts of said holding relay.

4. In a call distributing system, a subscribers line, a switch at which said line terminates, trunk lines terminating at said switch, means for causing the brushes of said switch to traverse the terminals of said trunk lines upon the initiation of a call on said line, a test relay, means for energizing said relay when the switch unites with an available trunk to stop said switch, a holding relay for maintaining said line associ-- ated with the selected trunk, an energizing circuit for said holding relay extending through front contacts of said test relay, and means for causing the denergization of said test relay upon the energization of said holding relay.

5. In a call distributing s stem, a subscribers line, a switch at w ich said line terminates, trunk lines terminating at said switch, means for causing the brushes of said switch to traverse the terminals of said trunk line upon the initiation of a call on said line, a test relay, means for energizing said relay when the switch unites with an available trunk to stop said switch, a holding relay for maintaining said line associated with the selected trunk, an energizing circuit for said holding relay extending through front contacts of said test relay, means for causing the deenergization of said test relay on the energization of said holding relay, and a locking circuit for said holding relay extending through a front contact thereof and a contact of said switch.

6. In a telephone system, an exchange, a plurality of operators positions at said exchange, subscribers lines, switches at which said lines terminate, distributing trunks extending from contacts of said switches to different operators positions, means actuated upon the initiation of a call on a line for causing a switch to unite said line with an idle trunk extending to an idle operators position, a relay for applying busy potential to contacts of a group of trunks entering said position, a holding relay, means for energizing said group relay upon the selec tion of a trunk by said switch, and means for energizing said holding relay when the operator answers a call, the operation of said holding relay serving to efi ect the de-.

to contacts of a group of trunks entering a,

position, a holding relay, means for energizing said grouprelay upon the selection of a trunk by said switch, means for energizing said holding relay when the operator answers a call, the operation of said holding relay serving to effect the deenergization of said group relay and also to place busy potential on the test contact of the selected trunk.

8. In a telephone exchange system, an exchange, a plurality of operators positions at said exchange, subscribers lines, switches at which said lines terminate, distributing trunks extending from contacts of said switches to difierent operators positions, means actuated upon the initiation of a call on one of said lines for causing a switch to unite said line-with an idle trunk extending to an idle operators position, lamps associated with the terminals of said trunks at said positions, a group relay for placing busy potential on a plurality of the distributing trunks entering an operators posiv tion, and an energizing circuit for said group relay and said lamp completed through a contact and brush of said switch wheilii the,switch unites with an available trun 9. In a telephone exchange system, an exchange, a plurality of operators positions at said exchange, subscribers lines, switches at which said lines terminate, distributing trunks extending from said switches to said operators positions, means actuated upon the initiation of a call on one of said lines for causing a switch to unite said line with an idle trunk extending to an idle operators series in an energizing circuit completed through a contact of said switch when the calling line is united to an available trunk.

10. In a telephone exchange system, an exchange, a plurality of operators positions atsaid exchange, subscribers lines, switches at which said lines terminate, distributing trunks extending from said switches to said operators positions, means actuated upon the initiation of a call on one of said lines for causing a switch to unite said line with an idle trunk extending to an idle operators position, a relay common to a group of trunks entering an operators position for placing busy potential on the test contacts thereof, a signal device associated with each trunk at the operators position, and means whereby an energizing circuit is completed through a contact of said switch for said group relay and the appropriate signal device in series when a calling line is united with an available trunk.

11. In a telephone system, an exchange, a plurality of operators positions at said exchange, subscribers lines, switches at which said lines terminate, distributing trunks extending from said switches to said operators messes positions, means actuated upon the initiation of a call on one of said. lines for causing its switch to unite said line with an idle trunk extending to an idle operators position, a relay common to a group of trunks entering an operators position for placing busy potential on the test contacts thereof, a signal device associated. with each trunk at the operators position, circuits whereby an en.- ergizing circuit is completed through a contact of said switch for said group relay and the appropriate signaling device when a calling line is united with an available trunk, a holding relay for maintaining the line in association with said trunk, and means actuated upon the energization of said holding relay for causing the denergization of said group relav and the return to normal of said signaling device.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 8th day of February A. D.,

HENRY P. CLAUSEN.

Witnesses:

E. EDLER, K. L. STAHL. 

